Fundraising & community events

Sausage sizzles, and selling food like jams and cakes, are popular ways to raise money for good causes. Find out about the regulations you need to comply with if you're making and selling food for fundraising, want to sell food at occasional events like markets and fairs, or are serving food as part of a club or society.

Fundraising more than 20 times a year

Under the Food Act 2014 that comes into force on 1 March 2016, you can sell food to raise funds for a charity, or for cultural and community events without registering under the Act – but only up to 20 times in a calendar year.

If you're selling food as a fundraiser 20 or more times a year, you are defined as a business under the Act, and may need to adopt one of the food safety plans or programmes in the Act. Use the Where Do I Fit? tool to help you find out what you may need to do.

Local authority requirements

Local authorities may also have requirements that apply to your fundraising activity, especially about where food may be sold.

Contact your local city or district council to discuss what food you want to sell, where you want to sell it, and how you will make sure that it will be safe to eat. Councils' environmental health staff will be able to tell you the requirements that apply and whether you can go ahead with your fundraiser.

Selling food at fairs, markets and occasional events

If food is sold more than once in a calendar year that is not for fundraising purposes, the activity is subject to registration under food safety legislation. You must sell safe and suitable food.

If you sell food at a single one-off event only once in a calendar year, your only requirement is to ensure you make safe and suitable food.

If you sell food at markets or events more than once a year, there are some other steps you need to take, and you're likely to need to register as a food business. Use the Where Do I Fit? tool to find out how the Food Act 2014 applies to you.

At the marae

Food prepared and served on marae for customary activities such as tangi is outside the scope of the Act, and will not be regulated, because the food isn't sold or traded.However, food prepared on a marae that is sold commercially, like running catering services, a cafe, or any other commercial food business, must comply with the Food Act 2014.

Unsure what rules apply to you?

MPI has developed a tool—Where Do I Fit?—to help you work out where your food activity fits within the new Food Act 2014 rules. By answering a series of questions you can find out what you'll need to do to comply with the Act.

Other related rules under the Act

New rules around donating food

A ‘good Samaritan’ clause has been added to the Act to protect people who donate food that is safe at the time of donation, and meets any food composition, labelling and other suitability requirements that may apply to the food. For example, food donated to a food bank.

These donors cannot be prosecuted under the Act if, for example, the food later makes people ill.

Giving away food as promotional material

Food that is given away as promotional material will be subject to regulation if it is advertising the product or promoting a business. If you are intending to give food away as promotional material, contact an environmental health officer at your local council with details of what you are intending to do. They will be able to advise on any requirements for your activity.

Although you can catch and eat your own wild food, you cannot sell it or trade it for profit because it has not been through an inspection system to ensure it is fit for human consumption. You eat recreationally caught food at your own risk.

You may trade the parts of your recreational catch that are not for human or animal consumption, for example, hides, skins, horns, or antlers. Waste material can also be sold or disposed of to a renderer.

Information you requested is not viewable

You do not have permission to access this document.
If you believe you have received this message in error please contact
info@mpi.govt.nz.
For information about restricted areas of the site visit
https://www.mpi.govt.nz/.